Priest Vallon

Priest Vallon (1796-6 February 1846) was the leader of the Dead Rabbits gang of New York City. An immigrant from Ireland, Vallon led a gang of fellow Irish Catholic immigrants in the Five Points area of Manhattan and fought against William Cutting's Nativists. He was killed in a fight with them on 6 February 1846.

Biography
Priest Vallon was born in 1796 in County Kerry, Ireland to a family of Irish Catholics. Vallon later immigrated to the United States when a potato famine occurred in his home country, and he was harassed by the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant nativists that wanted to keep the Catholic immigrants out of the country. He became the leader of the Dead Rabbits gang in response to this hatred, as he wanted to lead the Irish immigrants against the racist Americans. Vallon's Dead Rabbits gang became a major force in the Five Points neighborhood of central Manhattan, and he fought against William Cutting's Nativists. On 6 February 1846 he challenged Cutting's nativist gangs to a fight over who held sway over the Five Points, and Vallon brought up a small army of Irish criminals to the square near the old brewery to face Cutting's men. The two sides fought against each other in an intense battle, leaving blood on the white snow that covered the square. Vallon was stabbed in the chest and right arm by Cutting during the melee, mortally wounding him; he was able to tell his son not to look away from him as he died, hoping for him to get revenge in the future. Vallon died, and Cutting decreed that his body was not to be touched by anybody, while grisly trophies could be taken from everyone else. His death led to the Dead Rabbits being outlawed by Vallon, and his son Amsterdam Vallon would kill Cutting and take over the Five Points in 1863.